Final answer:
Ambrose Bierce's 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' employs strong realist characteristics to expose the grim and grotesque nature of war, ultimately contrasting the romanticized view of wartime heroism with its stark reality through the protagonist Peyton Farquhar's experience.
Step-by-step explanation:
The line “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge” reveals the strong realist characteristics in Ambrose Bierce’s 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.' Throughout the story, readers are taken through a vicarious experience of Farquhar’s imagined escape, only to be brought back to the brutal reality of war in the end. Deeply ironic and jarring, Bierce uses these storytelling techniques to highlight the grotesque and unforgiving nature of war, as well as the disconnect between romanticized notions of heroism and the stark reality of wartime brutality.
In his war stories, Bierce often explores the subjective experiences of characters, such as Farquhar, who are enmeshed in the horrors of war. These experiences frequently cross over from strict realism into the realm of the fantastic or grotesque, thus delivering a powerful commentary on the human cost of war. By ending the story with the ultimate revelation of Farquhar’s death, the grim realities of war are laid bare, dispelling any romanticized ideas that may have been conjured by the narrative up to that point.